With the advent of the "energy crisis" brought on by the increased per capita consumption of energy and the dwindling reserves of energy sources, a great amount of attention has been devoted to alternate sources of energy. Among these alternate sources is the energy transmitted to or by the sun's rays. Various devices have been built to utilize the energy inherent in the sun's rays in many ways.
Among the leading types of devices for extracting energy from the sun's rays are solar heat panels which utilize the energy present in the infrared portion of the sun's rays to raise the temperature of a liquid such as water.
Prior art is replete with solar heat devices generally including means to focus the sun's rays through mirrors and reflecting bodies onto heat absorption surfaces in order to utilize the energy in the infrared portion to the maximum efficiency. These heat cells generally comprise a transparent surface with a black body heat absorption surface in parallel spaced relation thereto with the liquid to be heated transmitted between these surfaces in heat conductive tubing of copper, aluminum, or the like. The developments in these systems include means to move the panel or cell to track the sun and/or means to focus the sun's rays on the panel through parabolic mirrors set up in appropriate relation to the panel.
Another very important prior art device for extracting energy from the sun's rays is the solar energy panel or cell which utilizes properties of material such as selenium which, when contacted by the sun's rays, emit electrons displaced by photons in the sun's rays to thereby generate electrical current. This type of device has found wide utility in present-day industry, particularly in space where such cells power satellite systems of various types.
Applicant is aware of the following patents in the prior art:
3,279,457 Kyryluk PA1 2,989,575 Wallace PA1 2,312,920 Litton PA1 1,946,184 Abbot PA1 1,855,815 Abbot
These references represent the best known prior art known to the applicant. Of these the Kyryluk patent discloses in FIG. 3 a spherical embodiment of a solar heat concentrator which, geometrically, is similar to one embodiment of the applicant's invention; however, there is no intention of incorporating solar cells or a liquid within the sphere. The two Abbot patents disclose solar heaters utilizing glass envelopes around a heat absorbing tube. These references do not contemplate utilizing a liquid within the envelope. The Wallace and Litton patents relate to solar cells, the Litton patent specifically relating to a cooling system or jacket for solar cells. The Litton patent does not contemplate the use of liquid coolant for focusing the sun's rays nor does it contemplate utilization of the coolant as a source of energy itself. Wallace is pertinent only in that it discloses in the embodiment of FIG. 8 thereof a spherical substrate for the solar cells. Other than the geometrical similarity, there is no further relevance of the Wallace reference to the present invention.